And the Race is on!
by loquaciousLilies
Summary: John's dating Dave! Karkat is in love with John! A kegger after the big race goes horribly wrong! I can't write summaries! What'll happen next! Also humanstuck...
1. Chapter 1

Karkat hides his face as he gobbles up his breakfast. He wears a large sweater that screams "I have no knowledge of what weather is or what seasons mean"and a massive green trucker hat that he prays will keep anyone who would recognize him from recognizing him. But John would recognize his tiny, grumpy form anywhere. Especially in a truck stop, eating and glaring at coco-puffs. The bright-eyed boy giggles as he scoots a seat closer to Karkat, trying to be inconspicious. The grumpy little man grumbles to himself oblivious to the scooting buck-toothed boy inching his way closer.

"Karkat, what are you doing here in such a goofy outfit?" the happy boy asks wrapping his arms around Karkat's small frame.

"Fuck!" he yells jumping a full inch off his seat spilling a little of his coco-puffs on the counter. "What the every loving fucktarts are you doing here?"

John giggles and shrugs. "We came to see the race. How about you?" he asks letting going of the other.

Karkat looks at John with a look of confusion and relief. "You too...?" he inquires softly, fixing his hat to cover his eyes.

"Yeah!" John laughs before realizing what the "too" in Karkat's last question meant. "Oh! You're going too! You should sit with us!" A frown continues to splay on the angry mutants face. He is extremely embarrassed first of all that he even is at this stupid race and second of all that he actually really enjoys the ever-turning lefts of NASCAR. But still he shrugs not wanting to miss a moment with the John Egbert. He lays down a few singles and a five to cover his tab and his tip before leaving with John. In a few steps, or clumsy shuffles (since John is still holding onto Karkat's arm), they arrive at a booth holding empty plates, mugs and the ever sly Dave Strider.

"Look who I found!" John practically shouts sliding in with Dave. Karkat angrily sits across from them a scowl plastered on his face.

"Sup KK," Dave says with a smirk. Karkat tries not to get too angry at Dave's smirks. He understands that just like how he never grew taller than a middle schooler Dave never grew a big enough heart to smile correctly.

"Hi Dave," Karkat attempts to not spit out at the cooler kid. "I see Sollux has rubbed off on you."

Dave chuckles lightly, nodding. "He's a cool guy." Karkat nods still scowling. It isn't that he has anything against the youngest Strider he just can't stand his smug, little, nook-sucking face. The fact that he currently has sweet, little Egbert wrapped around his douche-bag pinky finger isn't a factor in why he hates Dave though. Although when he glances at the two, they're whispering little secrets to each other or ,most likely, planning the itinerary of the next few hours now that a third person had shown up, he can't help but fuel with an unknown anger that he only feels around the blonde idiot and when he can't find his library card. Okay, maybe John's undying love for the insufferable prick has something to do with all the hate after all.

"Guys we're gonna be late!" John gasps looking up from his not as smart as Karkat phone. The trio stands from the booth as Dave pulls a wad of ones from his wallet to lay beside the check. Karkat can't help but wonder where Dave got the massive amounts of ones but he can only hope he is some sort of two-dollar stripper and John will figure out and hate his guts.

They all pile in Dave's tiny car despite Karkat's empty protests. The care ride would have been silent if it wasn't for Dave's terrible beats he insisted on listening to. Karkat groans, nearly inaudible thanks to the speakers, as he pressed his forehead against the hot glass of his car.

The parking lot is full of terribly dressed rednecks who still believe the mullet was still in. Karkat almost literally jumps from the car once Dave reaches back and pushes the seat forwards. "Why can't you just have a fucking four door car?" Karkat hisses looking at Dave.

The lines are long and the heat is miserable. They finally arrive at the creepy metal seats that face the asphalt.

"I hope Gordon wins!" John exclaims the excitement dripping from every word. Dave nods in agreement and Karkat can't help but shrug. He wants Gordon to win. The three laugh and joke and talk, well Karkat talks and insults, until the last couple laps of the race. Even Karkat joins the excited jumping as Gordon sneaks into first. The party walks out the track grins on all three faces. Dave announces he has to take a piss and leaves the two together. John spews about how wonderful the race was as Karkat nods excitedly.

Dave comes back moments later a large smirk on his face. "Ladies, I found us a kegger."


	2. Chapter 2

Karkat tenses up confused. This isn't his bed, this isn't his room, and there is something holding him down, making him unable to move. Panic attempts to set in but a tiny mumble rises from around his stomach. Karkat's heart jumps as he slowly lifts his head to see John wrapped around his midsection his head resting smack dab in the middle of his chest. A frown boroughs its way onto his face. How did this happen? He lays his head back on the camouflage pillow. The room itself is terrible. Wood paneling and those odd posters that show a dog hunting a goose in his best orange vest adorn the walls. The room is small the twin bed the two are sharing taking up nearly the whole of the room. There is however enough room for a rickety table and a lamp with a camouflage lampshade. Karkat can't help but be a little pleased that whoever has the displeasure of owning this tiny shithole at least had room for his redneck, shithive of a lamp. Taking his attention away from the lamp he examines what little he can see about the bed.

He knows the covers are a dull tan and the comforter that must have taken a rest on the floor is that horrible camouflage that seems to seep into every inch of this room. But still the small bed is very comfortable. It is neither too soft or too hard. In the words of precious little Goldilocks, the bed is "just right". Speaking of "gold locks" where is Dave? And how is he taking the fact that John is snuggled naked with Karkat?

There, that was the word that Karkat is ignoring. Naked. Not only is the pleasantly snoozing Egbert naked but Karkat himself is lacking in any clothes except maybe his socks. Moving his toes slowly he soon finds out that his feet have more dignity then the rest of him and know to keep themselves well clothed in front of another man's boyfriend. Even if that other man is the scum of the world and doesn't deserve the perfection on his hip. An angry sigh escapes Karkat's lips. "Even if Dave is the scum of the world. I shouldn't have had drunken sloppy sex with his boyfriend."

His voice causes John to stir. A smile on his lip, the blue-eyed boy mutters the hated name of the blonde man. Karkat growls surprising himself. He can't take this anymore. He nudges the sleeping beauty. "Wake up John," he says in an odd soft voice that he is almost positive he has never used. John groans swatting at his hand. A cliched "five more minutes" slips from his lips.

"Fuck John come on," Karkat says shaking him a little more violently. "We really fucked up and I can't be the only one sitting here writhing in guilt in my fucking birthday suit." His toes move involuntarily "Oh! Stupid me my socks are still on my feet so I'm not really in my birthday suit. Almost though! But I guess that close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades right?" Looking at the frowning sleeping boy Karkat can only continue on his panic-filled rant. "John, wake up you little shit. I don't know how to fucking handle this!" He's shouting now and who would have thought he had this ability to feel guilty about finally getting his way?

John finally blinks those blue eyes open as if he was Snow White or some other stupid princess. He looks at the freckless chest he's sleeping on in confusion. He takes a moment to work through the befuddlement before shooting up into a sitting postilion. "Fuck! You're not Da-" he cuts himself off with a scream as he comes face-to-face with a stuffed, dead, deer head.

Karkat looks up at the ridiculous thing above the bed and laughs a little. He sits up now that the pressure on his lower half has been removed.

They sit starring at each for a quick moment before a blush spreads across John's face. "We're naked!" he states quickly becoming Captain Obvious again. He covers himself blunderingly. "Close your eye so I can find my pants!" he demands. Karkat obliges closing his eyes. John throws the comforter at Karkat gaining a "hmph" from the momentarily blind boy. "I'm...I'm gonna wait in the hallway while you get dressed," John says. Karkat can hear the door open but never shut. An uncomfortable silence passes between the two before John says simply. "We still need to talk about this."

Grumbling Karkat finds his clothes and slips them on. He's dreading this "talk." Finally dressed he starts to open the door but stops.

"Hey, babe," John says smiling into the phone.

"Where are you?"

"Haha, really? Gross!"

"I... I don't know I just woke up in some room."

"Yeah...Yeah I found Karkat."

"Okay, see you then. "

There is a moment of silence before John says softly into the receiver.

"Dave... I love you. Bye."

Karkat fumes. He slams the door open storming past John. The confused boy reaches out to grab the angry little man's arm. "Wait Karkat. Dave's picking us up!" He calls after Karkat but he doesn't stop.

He reaches the outside and sulks realizing he has no clue where he is. As he looks around John reaches his side. "Where are you going didn't you hear me?" he says grabbing the other's wrist.

"I'm walking home John. I don't want to ride in the tiny ass shit car of the great Dave fucking Strider." He spits not looking at the taller male. "And before you say we need to discuss this shithole we've landed in, we don't! Last night was a mistake. That's all. A 'hey look how fucking drunk we are and what crazy stupid things we can do!"

John bites his lip and nods letting go of the thin wrist. "Yeah..." he sighs. "At least let us give you a ride to your car, this heat is brutal and you're still in that sweater."

Karkat frowns looking around at his surroundings. The trailer sits on cinder blocks in the middle of a treeless field. The only change of scenery is the black tar asphalt that Karkat swears he can hear sizzling. He's only been out of the trailer for a total of three minutes but he's already feeling sweat drip down his back. "And it's only nine o'clock," John reminds him.

He nods groaning. "Fine!"

The two stand together in silence waiting for Dave to drive up in his red vehicle. A previously drunk blonde girl rises from the flowers in front of the double wide. She stumbles past them and stops. "Hey it's the cute couple!" she says a polite smile on her lips. "I know you don't know me but I think you two are perfect for each other." She staggers away before either of the blushing boys can say a word.

The two ignore each other during the wait and then again in the car. John prattles about nothing with Dave as Karkat tries to piece together the mystery of how the blonde boy disappeared and the brunette ended up doing the horizontal dance with Karkat in a middle-aged man's creepy bedroom. He sighs lifting his head slowly to only let it fall with more velocity against the small backseat window.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you last night?" Dave says softly is hand placing itself on John's knee.

John jumps a little feeling Karkat's eyes on the both of them.

"It...It's fine!" he says wrapping his own hand around the one resting on his knee. "But...lets talk about it when it's just the two of us."

Dave nods and soon they are alone leaving Karkat with his own blue car. He yells when finally in his car it decides it doesn't want to switch gears. With a few more attempts and curses he realizes his car won't stuck and he's stranded in the Denny's parking lot. He pulls out his phone and dials Sollux's number instantly regretting the decision when he thinks about the shit he was going to get about this whole ordeal. At least Sollux would take him to their shared apartment and he could lay in his bed and pretend he doesn't exist.

a/n: Well, here's chapter 2! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do! Thank you all for reading! And any comments are welcome : ]


	3. Chapter 3

"God Damn it kk, you let uth lothe again!" Sollux yells throwing his controller narrowly missing Gamzee's head. Gamzee's as good as passed out laying in a stupor on the floor. The three are sitting in Sollux's living room for their almost daily routine of "video games and pot." Although just like normal Gamzee is the only one partaking in the pot. The other two have invariably become too engrossed in their game to even care about the no longer passing joint. Sollux's living room is more nerdy hipster than Karkat can handle sometimes. The walls are white, framed Japanese Star Wars posters donning the wall. The couch their sitting on is a brown pleater with no pillows. The flat screen sits on a small stand covered inside and out with video games and movies. The bachelor pad feel makes Karkat want to vomit.

Karkat shrugs having said barely two words to his friends since Sollux had picked him up that afternoon. He had pouted the whole ride ignoring Sollux's questions until finally the lisping man gave up and continued the rest of the ride blaring Creed.

Gamzee sits up slowly staggering a little not to fall back to the ground. "What's mother fucking wrong, little bro?" he asks his voice creating long drawls in his words. Gamzee stands at 6 feet two inches and, thanks to genes from a father he's never met, weighs just enough to keep him out of the unhealthy percentile. A messy mop of dark brown hair falls where ever it wants over the tan, sharp boned face. Karkat wouldn't tell Gamzee this if his life depended on it but Gamzee would have been very attractive if he took any time on himself. And wore clean clothes. And bathed on a daily basis. And wasn't stoned almost every hour of every day.

Karkat shrugs, "I'm fucking fine. Maybe you should worry about your fucked up self more often." He attempts to get farther into the couch cushions knowing of the three the stoned sack on the floor was the least fucked up. Not only did he have a stable, loving relationship, he had a paid internship at the local Vet Hospital. It sure was better than Karkats grave yard shifts at Walmart or Sollux's Best Buy job that he took far too seriously.

Gamzee lifts himself from the floor to sit beside Karkat effectively squishing him between him and Sollux. "Come on, little bro. You mother fucking come here all up and angerful and you won't even tell your best bros what's all up and up?" he inquires wrapping an arm around the smaller man's shoulder.

Karkat attempts to wiggle out of Gamzee's grip as Sollux's adds, "Yeah, kk. Why the fuck did I have to pick you from a diner thith morning?" Sollux is much like Gamzee in height and weight. He has brown hair cut short. His odd colored eyes sit behind glasses and his face is either always in a smirk or a scowl. Out of the three Sollux got the most tail. This fact, however, baffled Karkat. He just didn't find the lanky freak attractive.

Not that Karkat could talk. He stands at just barley five feet 3 inches. He's muscular but nothing like a body builder or a man who actually cares about the way he looks. He only ever worked out to release anger. He's tan and keeps his shaggy black hair rather short. He likes to think that maybe he is attractive. He had to be a little attractive to get John in his bed. His frown deepens as he decides whether he should tell his friends about his drunken sexcapades.

"Fuck, KK, just tell uth what happened."

Karkat takes a deep breathe. "If you fucking tease me for any of this I swear I will tear out your spine and feed it to a gorilla!"

Gamzee chuckles lightly. "Nah, man. We ain't gonna laugh at a brother's problem, right Solbro?" Sollux shrugs nodding a little.

"I was at Denny's because I needed some breakfast before I went to the...Nascar race. I met up with John and cooly mc sucks a lot of monkey dick Strider. We went to the race together and Gordon won and Dave found us a party to go to. And you all know how I react to alcohol."

"Wait," Sollux says holding up a hand. "You went to a Nathcar race?" He's trying not to laugh which causes Karkat to fume.

"Fuck you Sollux! I told you not to tease me about this. There was a reason I wasn't gong to tell you two shit bags! I knew you'd do this," he wiggles more trying to get out of Gamzee's grip. But the larger male places a gentle chin on his head holding him close.

"Shh, calm down. We ain't mother fucking gonna tease you no more." he says in a soft tone. Karkat lets out a tiny growl as he feels himself calming down. Gamzee had always had that effect on him since the two played on the playground together in elementary school.

"Fine... fine.. just get your pointy ass chin off my head," Karkat waits for Gamzee to move his chin before continuing his story.

"Fuck... I slept with John..." he mumbles out his whole body collapsing into the couch and Gamzee's arm.

"How?" Sollux finally asks as the two stare at the attempting to self-implode Karkat.

"What do you mean how? Are you fucking stupid?" Karkat snaps not wanting to get into any hot sweaty details.

"No you dumb nuts, how did you end up with him?"

"I don't really know. One moment him and dickwad van fucktart are making out in the corner, then their fighting, and then John's in my lap faster than Dave's out the door." Karkat says with a small shrug.

Sollux chuckles a little. "Why are you tho mad then? Didn't you get what you want?"

Karkat shrugs again letting out a short sigh. "I guess... I don't fucking know Sollux. I guess maybe I have a God Damn conscious for once! Dave's the worst excuse for a human being I've ever met but that doesn't mean I can bump in the sheets with his boyfriend."

"Maybe you're up and mad because you want more. You've loved John forever." Gamzee states listlessly.

Karkat blushes with a shrug. "Yeah... I guess... lets just play this fucking game some more instead of talking about my lack of love life..." Both Sollux and him pick up their thrown controllers and begin to play the game again. Gamzee regains his position of the floor taking long drags from his joint. They sit in almost silence, angry insults and curses filling the air spontaneously, until a small knock comes from the door.

"Gamzee get your lazy ass, clown self up and get the God damn shit fest of a door," Karkat yells not taking his eyes from the screen. He's finally got his game back and he wasn't going to lose it again just because some little shit twat wanted him to open the fucking door for him. Gamzee saunters slowly to the door with a lazy smile. "Sup John!" he says swinging the door open.

"Hey Gamz," the man of Karkat's dreams says sheepishly stepping into the smoky apartment.

a/n: sorry this one is so terrible. I just wanted to say a quick thank you to the people who have read this story. It means so much to me : ] I hope you enjoy


	4. Chapter 4

A/n: Sorry this took so long!

Karkat stands facing John his eyes cast down. John fiddles with his fingers watching Karkat for some kind of reaction. He knew it was naive but he had hoped that Karkat would greet him with open arms, shush his crying, tell him Dave was an idiot and a drunken one night stand was not a good basis to end a two year relationship. And then Karkat would press his lips to John's and they would live happily ever after and the credits would roll showing Nic Cage had played John the whole time. But instead Karkat stood infront of him avoiding any eye contact while his weird friend lounges on the floor honking.

"God Damnit you lazy fuckass waste of space can you leave the room and stop your bloody honking!" Karkat finally snaps after what must be the sixtieth honk. Karkat turns to glare at the man on the floor before turning quickly back to look-not-look at John.

Sollux reacts faster than Gamzee helping the man up before he knows he's even sitting down. "Why don't we go to the mall or thomthing?" he offers sending glances at the uncomfortable pair before him. "Maybe we can buy you a cupcake?" Gamzee nods haphazardly. The two are gone before either the short, wrathful muffin or the buck-toothed twerp can mumble out their hapless goodbyes.

"Why are you here?" Karkat finally spits out his eyes never leaving the stained carpet.

John jumps a little having grown used to their silence. He bites his lips looking at Karkat. "Dave dumped me," he whines his lipping wavering and his eyes filling with new tears. He was almost certain that he had no more tears but feeling his eyes brimming with the tiny, salty, water droplets of hell, he knows he was wrong.

"Shit John are you crying?" Karkat asks finally looking at the person in front of him. "Aw, fuck dude, stop it." Instinct causes him to clumsily pull the other into a hug where John proceeds to break down into a blubbering mess. Karkat sighs petting his head uncomfortably. "Shush shush," he mutters looking at the clock. How long was this poor sap gonna cry?

With a few last shaking sniffles John composes himself. "Sorry..." He says pulling away from Karkat. He wipes messily at his eyes with his sleeves. Karkat leads him to the sofa and sits him down before grumbling to the restroom to grab a roll of toilet paper in case the dam broke again. He sits on the opposite end of the couch looking sheepishly at John.

"Want to tell me about it?" Karkat asks hesitantly.

John shrugs looking away. "I told him what happened last night. He got really mad, madder than I've ever seen a Strider! He left saying we were done and that it would be better if I wasn't home when he got back." His bottom lip begins to tremble again forcing Karkat to shove the roll of toilet paper at him.

"Sorry..." Karkat says feeling this is partially his fault. "Where are you staying now?"

John shrugs. "In my car I guess..."

Karkat sits in silence for a moment weighing his options. He could invite John to stay with him for a while which could lead to a budding romance or a terrible rebound where Karkat ends up crying in a pool of his own vomit. Or he could say "sucks for you" and either ruin his friendship with John and send him back into Dave's arms or... Well that was really the only option. "You can stay with me!" he shouts images of a happy Dave and John wedding invading his thoughts.

John jumps looking at Karkat. "A-are you sure?"

Karkat catches his breath and nods. "I can't you leaving you hanging. Who do you think I am some blonde ass hole who only cares about puppets and beats?" he asks. He quickly catches himself and mumbles out a quick. "Sorry."

John laughs shrugging. "He is an asshole." After thinking that fact over for a moment, he throws his arms around Karkat, nearly laying on the other. "Thanks, Kar! You're so kind!"

A blush creeps over Karkat's cheeks before he pushes John off making the boy tumble to the ground. "Get off me you freak!"

John laughs from the floor as he stands. Karkat furrows his brow kicking on his shoes. The two leave Sollux's apartment without locking the door or leaving a note. He follows John to his car hoping in the light blue mess as John gets behind the wheel and drives to Karkat's dingy apartment. John babbles about some new romantic comedy he had seen earlier that week as his hand drifts over to lay on Karkat's knee.

A tense Karkat stares at the hand attempting to remember if he was actually still drunk or Gamzee's second hand smoke really affected him this time. He looks up at John and frowns. "J-john...?" he squeaks out all attempts to be angry or confident seeping out of his voice.

John turns to face Karkat a sly smile on his lips. "Maybe, Dave dumping me was a good thing," he says winking at the stunned Karkat.

Karkat's mind is ablaze. All senses are focusing on the single hand on his knee while his brain hashes it's way through a sudden forest of lust. John's lost it. John's completely lost and Karkat's as close as he's ever been to dropping all thought of sense and falling off the cliff into looneyville. Sure this is what Karkat always dreamt of, John being flirtatious while also sober. Maybe he wasn't sober?

With the car parked and Karkat spacing out John climbs over the console to straddle the shocked Karkat. His lips are on Karkat's neck before Karkat can even realize he is no longer a human but an odd chair. His hands caress Karkat's chest. And it takes every bone in Karkat's slowly turning to pudding body for him to push John off him so that the boy was perched barely on shaking knees back against the dashboard. A sexy pout sits on John's face, his glasses crooked.

Karkat keeps his hands on John's shoulder holding him as far away as he could.

"Jesus Christ John stop it! What the hells wrong with you?" he shouts.

"I thought you liked me, Karkles!" John whines like a drunk girl at a party. The look of confusion in John's eyes almost cause Karkat to let go and let the ravage kissing machine attach himself to his neck again.

Karkat swallows hard taking a moment to compose himself. "Fuck, John. I do. I always have. Sometimes you make me feel like a stupid girl at that dick twit singer guy with the hair! But you're not thinking straight! Hell, just yesterday you were swooning over your blonde bomb shell!"

John bites at his bottom lip shrugging. "Yeah... but that was yesterday! That was before I realized how great you were!" he pleads.

"John... you're just upset that Dave broke up with you. " a sad sigh slips from Karkat's lips, "You'll regret this... why don't we go up to my place and you take a, uh, cold shower, and then we'll talk about all this?"

Johns nodes opening the door and following Karkat to his tiny, dump of an apartment. A tv bought from Good Will sits on the ground only a few feet away from a coffee table made of empty pizza boxes that may have been there since before Karkat moved in. The couch is tattered and flat. Karkat had never seen the couch new having found it on the side of the room. The small kitchen, messy bathroom, and barely bedroom followed the same dull look of the rest of the apartment.

"The showers down the hall..." he mumbles with a shrug sauntering into his room. "Call me if you need me." Hearing the shower rattle alive, he rummages out his phone dialing Sollux's number.

"Hey athhat thankth for leaving my door unlocked. Not like I have anything I care about," Sollux snaps replacing the "Hello, kk," Karkat was expecting.

"Sollux, shut up I need your help!" Karkat nearly yells his head snapping to the door to see if John had heard him. He hadn't, John was singing some song he made up about tictacs and chilie and probably a cow.

another authors note:: apologizing how terrible this is. No updates till my papers due :[


	5. Chapter 5

John wakes confused. This isn't his room. There is a framed picture of Adam Sandler in the "Water Boy" where his pride and joy (a signed "National Treasure" poster) should be. And he is no boy genius but almost sure this isn't his room not even his house. Even surer that the cuddly male on his side isn't his Dave. "Fuck, Dave..." he mutters out the reality of his life hitting him, forcing him out of the sleepy haze he had woken up from.

Dave grinned pulling John in slowly for a passionate kiss. Or a kiss that would have had at least more passion than John's balmy hand being smashed between the two of them.

"What the fuck Egbert?" Dave asked frustrated. Honest to God, he didn't want to talk about some petty argument, he just wanted to begin the hot and heavy make-up sex they were due for. If Egbert wanted to talk about last night he might as well talk to the wall. Dave was going to work on his beats. "I don't want to talk about last night. I forgive you and I apologize,okay?" he spoke muffled by John's hand.

John was nervously biting his lip debating whether to oblige Dave's lips and just push the prior night under the carpet and never speak of it again. But he couldn't do that. The guilt in the pit of his stomach was already eating him alive and he'd only slept with Karkat less than 24 hours ago. "I slept with Karkat!" he squawked out removing his hand to cover his own mouth. And he couldn't help he was a nervous wreck, and maybe crying always worked with his dad, but tears stung his eyes before Dave even had time to react.

But react he did pushing the other away. "W-what?" he stuttered. Dave doesn't stutter, Dave also doesn't have trouble hearing. He heard every word but for once in his life he prayed that he had in fact been wrong and John had something different. Something cute. Something like "Wait, Dave, I need to tell you I love you before we do the deed on this couch that we spent $250 dollars on from Ikea or some shit like that."

Alas no, John blubbered on and on about how sorry he was and it was just a drunken one-night stand until Dave snapped. "John!" The other starred at him with wide eyes as he composed himself. "I just can't deal with this right now," he sighed rubbing his eyes under his shades. "I'm going to bro's, don't be here when I get back." He said slipping on his shoes and leaving John alone in his mad wake.

And that is why John is laying in Karkat's bed having refused to let the other sleep on the couch. He sighs sitting up on his elbows. Karkat was curled in a small ball around John's body. It was kind of sweet, Karkat curled around John like he was a life line. John smiled maybe he really was all wrong about his feelings for Karkat? Maybe Dave was the wrong direction? They hadn't started the night that way. They had been back to back, Karkat as close to the edge as he could be. The two had settled into bed early deciding the night before and John's freak out in the car should just be forgotten.

But Karkat couldn't forget something like that. Who forgets when the man of your dreams throws them self at you and you push them away because you're a good person?

"Karkat?" John asks nudging the sleeping man. He jumps pulling himself away from John with tired "sorries." A little laughter fills the room as John watches him with sleepy eyes. "Geez, Karkat, it's fine."

Karkat shrugs rolling out of bed to get ready. John follows suit, with a lot less rolling and a lot more just getting out of bed like a normal fucking person.

After the two are dressed they sit awkwardly at Karkat's sorry excuse for a kitchen table eating Coco puffs in silence. "Want to go to the zoo?" Karkat asks making John spill his milk. Wide-eyed he jumps up rushing to grab a paper towel as if the little bit of spilled milk was going to ruin the shitty table.

"The zoo?" he asks finally cleaning the milk and sitting back in his chair. "Yeah! The zoo sounds like fun!"

The two arrive at the zoo an hour later in an almost painless fashion, John did zip his jacket up wrong and had to spend at least three minutes rezipping the damned thing, but alas they were there. Surrounded by smelly, sticky, whiny, toddlers. "Figures we'd pick the day the fucking daycares visit..." Karkat mumbles

John giggles grasping Karkat's hand before dragging him off to look at some dumb, stinky, animal. Karkat feels a silly blush creeping on his face. It's a nice feeling, John's hand holding his. There is that tiny flicker of doubt in his brain that screams "rebound alert! do not enter relationship with desperate male! rebound alert!" but that is quickly overshadowed by a louder alarm that just shouts "fucknuts John is holding your hand! You are in fact a twelve year old dipshit girl and this is making your heart flutter but still John's hand has yours in its grasp!" So, he ignores the rebound alarm and slinks closer to John while viewing the giraffes. He's laughing about them, telling Karkat all of the facts he knows about these disgustingly tall beasts, but Karkat can't help to just watch him. Karkat is almost positive this is the kind of stuff movies are made of. And he's almost positive he's going to get the happy ending he hoped and almost prayed for.

And when John wraps a lazy arm around him as they watch the otters play he feels as if he's died and gone to heaven. He snuggles into John's side the flashing lights of the rebound alarm disappearing into darkness. They get ice cream, they laugh, and John steals a few light kisses before the day is done.

Sitting on the couch covered in a light blanket the two laugh and cry while watching "Sweet Home Alabama." Karkat can't help but think that this is what life was meant for. All the shit he put up for the beginning part of his life is well worth this day with John. John watches him momentarily before placing a playful kiss on Karkat's nose. And, yeah, this is the good life.

a/n: I'm sorry this is disgustingly fluffy and stupid and holly can't pace stories. Don't worry next chapter will be better...I hope. Thanks for reading!


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